2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rubber stamps and, more particularly, to rubber stamps with imprintable stamp element or elements affixed to a rotatable stamp element mount and capable of producing special effects such as those producing sound and light.
3. Statement of the Problem
Rotatable cylindrical mount, continuous element rubber stamps have been conventionally used for a long period of time to transfer an ink message onto paper sheets. Usually referred to in the market as "roller stamps" a wide variety of these stamps are available which transfer ink images of animals, greetings, designs suitable for creating printed boarders, or images of other types of objects. Other continuous element rotatable stamps have existed in the market for a long time, one type are commonly known as band stamps or rotary stamps, such as, for example, date stamps and business stamps, i.e. "RECEIVED"- - - "PAID"- - - etc. A related type of rotating stamp is the multiple element rubber stamp, in which, typically three to six separate, substantially flat stamp elements similar to those of the traditional single element hand stamp, are affixed in different locations upon a multiply faceted mount and the mount is rotated to select the specific image to be imprinted.
Most rolling rubber stamps are fabricated of plastic and consist of a housing and a round cylindrical, rotatable, stamp element mount with shaft, or axle extentions from opposite sides of the centers of its circular ends. The mount is a rigid substrate upon which an image carrying material, the stamp element or die, is firmly mounted. The housing is typically formed to have a handle and a bifurcated mount support bracket between the formed branches, or forks, of which the cylindrical stamp mount is rotatably mounted. The cylindrical mount is rotatably attached to the forks, i.e. branches, of the support bracket via the axles which extend through appropriately sized aperatures in the forks. Some rolling stamps; however, consist of only a cylindrical mount, a stamp element and axle extensions, and the user must hold the axle extensions in hand to imprint the stamp's images. The rubber stamp image is usually molded into a flat, rectangular strip of semi-porous rubber to become the stamp element, or die, which is then affixed with an adhesive "longwise" around the arcuate surface of cylinder's circumferance with opposite ends meeting to form a continuous stamp element.
Assembling the element onto the cylindrical mount is tedious and time consuming by comparison to the effort to affix an element onto the typically flat mount surface of the traditional hand stamp housing.
The cylindrical stamp element mount is typically 2 to 3 inches in diameter with a mounting surface typically between 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, thereby, requiring the stamp element to be long and narrow, i.e. (61/4-91/3 inches long), by comparison to the traditional hand stamp which is typically much closer to a square shaped mount surface, for example, 11/2 by 21/2 inches. The long, narrow format and the continuous nature of the imprinting effects the implementations of image designs.
Rather than a single main image object, as typically seen in a traditional hand stamp, rolling stamp designs tend to have a plurality of images of several sizes, distributed "along" the element and image designs so as to give the appearence of movement. Since the physical ends of the rubber material of the element meet to form a virtually continuous substrate, the images thereon are normally designed to present as a continuous visual imprint. Furthermore, rolling stamp image design topics often explore moving or changing objects, for example, three humpback whales mixed in with four or five dolphins and several sea turtles, all swimming within a field of bubbles. Rolling stamps are also characterised by having a playful motion in their use. In use, the rolling stamp is typically rolled against an inkpad and then rolled against a medium to create an imprinted image. Some rolling stamps employ self-inking mechanisms within the housing. Rolling rubber stamps are normally sold at retail stores which also sell the more conventional hand rubber stamps.
Revolving band type stamps are physically characterised by having stamp elements which are formed as flat, continuous rubber bands with images molded thereon. The bands are usually mildly elastic and are typically extended to draw closely around, i.e. mount around, two parallel alligned cylindrical mounts and be movable thereon for selecting the imprintable message, i.e. "PAID". The cylindrical mounts are attached within a bracket and so as to be disposed above and beneath, the lower mount functioning as firm backing support for the element during imprinting. Often several individually movable bands are mounted adjacent and in parallel in order to individually select an image from each band element to form one "assembled" final image, i.e. such as a date: 7 29 92, wherein the numbers representing the days, months and years move seperately on seperate band stamp elements. In the band stamp the mount remains fixed and the element moves.
The multiple element stamp typically has a single mount, sometimes assembled from smaller parts, which is provided with a plurality of flat, rectangular stamp element mounting surfaces, i.e. a single stamp mount mechanism is formed to have plurality of element mounting surfaces disposed at different locations on the surface thereof to accomodate a plurality of stamp elements thereon. A rubber stamp is thereby created which has a plurality of selectable, imprintable image "facets". In one implementation of the multiple element stamp, the mount is a cubical shaped block with axle shafts extending from the centers of two opposing parallel sides of the cube. The stamp is also provided with four imprintable stamp images on the remaining four sides. The mount is assembled to a forked bracket of a handle mechanism to form a rotatable multiple element stamp in which the desired image is rotated to the position facing away from the handle, i.e. downward, to be selected for imprinting. In the resulting mechanism the mount is rotated to allow a desired image to be positioned for imprinting. As in the case of the rolling stamp, versions of the multiple image stamp are known in which the multiple image mount is provided without an attached handle, i.e. the user merely holds the mount, usually at locations provided thereon, in the appropriate position for inking and imprinting the desired image therefrom.
A movable element, or elements, and a plurality of images, continuously imprinted, or individually selectable for imprinting from a single stamp device, are characteristic aspects of rotatable mount stamps, i.e. rolling, rotating and revolving, etc., stamps.
There is a large and rapidly growing market for all types of rubber stamps, including rolling stamps and multiple element stamps. To a large extent, rolling rubber stamps and multiple image stamps are purchased for entertainment value or as a toy and novelty item.
A need exists to provide special effects to the conventional rotatable mount rubber stamp, i.e. the rolling cylinderical mount and the rotatable, multiple element stamp, that enhances the entertainment, toy, or novelty value of conventional versions thereof. Such special effects would include, for example, audible messages such as sound or music, visual messages such as different colored lights or sequences of light patterns or a combination of sound and light.
A need also exists for a special effects rotatable mount rubber stamp, i.e. the rolling cylinderical mount and the rotatable, multiple element stamp, that enhances the image creation characteristics of such stamps in combination with special effects.
Furthermore, a need exists for a rolling rubber stamp with special effects and a multiple image rubber stamp with special effects that can be easily manufactured on a mass production basis.
4. Solution to the Problem
The present invention provides a solution to the above problem by providing a cavity in a plastic handle of a formed housing of the rotatable mount rubber stamp so as to contain electronic circuitry necessary to provide the special effects messages. The formed housing is further comprised of a bifurcated support bracket, or fork, which is formed to accommodate the placement between the branches thereof of a rotatable stamp mount. The branches, i.e. forks, are each further formed to have an elongated axle aperature, the pair of axle aperatures being aligned and disposed to accommodate the axle of a rotatable stamp mount and to allow for the rotation and translation thereof. A sensor is affixed upon one branch of the bifurcated support bracket extension of the housing of the rubber stamp device so as to be actuated upon the translation of a rotatable stamp mount mounted therein. A rotatable, continuous element stamp mount is rotatably and translatably attached between the branches of the fork, via the axle extensions which extend through the elongated apertures of the support branches. The elongated apertures allow for both rotation and translation of the axle and mount mechanism. The sensor mechanism is comprised of, for example, a spring-metal, lever action switch, so as to trigger the electronic circuitry to issue the special effects message in response to the imprinting of the visual image from the rotatable, mount rubber stamp upon the desired medium. Other switch mechanisms are readily adapted for message generation from a multiple element mount rubber stamp, as will be discussed elsewhere herein.
The present invention provides a variety of special effects including audible (speech, sound effects and/or music) and visual (light patterns and/or sequences, visual display). The message generating electronics of the present invention are contained within a cavity of the plastic handle so as not to interfere with the conventional operation or visual appearance of the conventional rotatable, cylindrical mount rubber stamp.
Finally, the present invention can be quickly and easily assembled via mass production and is capable of being easily modified for different special effects.